Advancement in Masonry Today

Peter Roberts

What is the future of masonry? Innovation in masonry is critical to meet the growing challenges facing our world. These advancements will create new markets, foster economic growth, and create new green technology. Over the next decade, masonry will evolve into several exciting new hybrid technologies and become a critical part of additive manufacturing. Traditional masonry will be expanded into new design and assembly models, using new materials and green technologies.

Building Information Modeling for Masonry (BIM-Masonry) is expected to shape the future of design. Buildings will be much more computer-designed, integrated with semi-automated and fully automated assembly methods. Robots are expected to play a significantly more substantial role in assembly in the coming years. Additive manufacturing (3-D printing) will be combining mortar deposition with robotic placement of block in an evolving field of masonry-based additive manufacturing.

The high efficiency of block manufacturing provides an affordable, engineered, finished Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) with various textures, colors, finishes, and high strength, with tight dimensional control to be used as an element in additive manufacturing (unlike 3-D printing). CMUs are also made in a controlled factory environment, as opposed to on-site 3-D printing. The low cost of concrete block will allow it to win on price in the new realm of additive manufacturing.

3-D printing remains unattractive and unappealing when compared to masonry. Familiarity with masonry will help in the adoption of additive manufacturing innovation because it is based on what is known. This is expected to occur slowly at first, as transitions occur from manual to semi-automated and fully automated assembly. This transition will affect labor and must address the evolving role of labor (e.g., Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers International Union, BAC).

Advances in automated additive assembly, 3-D printing, robotics, and digital design have created a new frontier in masonry innovation. A few companies are leading the way in this growing realm of advanced masonry technology.

Masonry is strenuous manual labor, and the advances in the arena of exoskeletal technology are very promising. These external support systems will enable today’s masons to keep working and attract young people into the future of the profession. There is a critical shortage of masons nationally, and many of the best are looking toward retirement. Several companies are addressing the challenges created by the demanding nature of masonry work through the research and development of various exoskeletal and other external support system technologies. Levitate Technologies, Inc. Suit X and Ekso Bionics are among the many companies providing various degrees of wearable external body support for workers.

Masonry innovators have recently found ways for the industry to become much more carbon efficient. Here are three companies leading the way on this front.

The versatility of masonry creates new design possibilities, including water storage, septic tanks, ships, boats, vessels, barges, bridges, seawalls, levees, flood protection infrastructure (culverts, etc.), and more. The use of CMU’s to build roofs, including arches, domes, and flying buttresses, is another new application for manufactured concrete block (this includes work by the author). The use of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) rebar creates rust proof reinforced masonry and concrete, which will become increasingly significant as sea levels are expected to rise. These new applications for masonry are expected to grow the industry significantly by creating entirely new markets.

Ductile and elastomeric composite material create masonry appropriate for blast and ballistic applications, defense applications, hardened structures, seismic applications, and severe weather events. ProtectiFlex provides a proprietary technology combining recycled non-biodegradable material, composite fibers, and/or rebar in a cement matrix. This material offers protection against blast, ballistic, forced entry, impact, fire, and seismic loads, and can be used to mitigate risk against accidents, natural disasters, and direct attacks. This material design prevents bullet penetration, reduces spalling, and can absorb large amounts of energy without diminishing structural integrity. It has 20 times the strain capacity of traditional concrete before failure.

Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is another newer material that holds promise due to its light weight and ease of cutting. Aercon provides AAC material in both blocks and panels. This material is lightweight, can be for both load-bearing and non-load bearing applications, has good acoustic performance, offers better thermal insulation than standard concrete, and includes many of the benefits of standard concrete such as fire safety, insect and pest resistance, and durability.

Insulated concrete blocks are also relatively new to the marketplace and help to maximize the thermal mass benefits of concrete and masonry, creating more thermally efficient buildings. NRG Block makes thermally insulated CMU’s which have a serpentine interlocking expanded foam thermal insert within the block. This design creates an insulated block with no direct thermal bridging from the inside of the building to the outside, resulting in a better thermally insulated building envelope. From both inside and outside, the wall looks like a conventional block wall.

Light-transmitting or translucent concrete and mortar are yet another new addition to the palette of masonry materials. Fiber optic cables are cast into concrete, allowing light to pass through dense opaque concrete and/or mortar, creating visually compelling architectural lighting effects. Litracon produces light-conducting concrete material for construction applications. The company uses both glass fiber optic elements, with a more randomized distribution of light-conducting elements cast in concrete, and a plastic light-conducting grid which creates regularly spaced light-conducting elements, appearing like LED pixels in a concrete grid. Light Transmitting Mortar is a start-up using technology similar to that found in light-conducting concrete, except that the light-conducting fibers are made of plastic. This creates a unique visual effect by allowing mortar joints to transmit light from outside to inside (or vice versa).

This question was posed by a Workshop on Masonry sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to a steering committee led by Clayford T. Grimm in 1988. Committee members included the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA), the Masonry Institute of America (MIA), and Clemson University. Here are the findings of the Grimm’s steering Committee from 1988, “Why Are There So Few Innovations in Masonry?”

This question persists over 30 years later. The author has encountered the following responses from industry, trade groups, and end-users over the years: “it is a mature technology” and “there is no room for improvement after thousands of years of masonry practice.” Much contemporary research looks back in time to understand some of humanity’s achievements with masonry (for example, the work done by Jacques Heyman). Old ideas are often presented as “new,” including, for example, Catalan arches, which originated in the 14^th century around Valencia, Spain. Guastavino tile arches from the 19^th century (Catalan arches) are also reexamined and often presented as new. This illustrates novelty versus innovation, as described by Loreto et al. in the ‘adjacent possible’ scheme.

Expect an increase in the automated assembly of buildings, gradually moving from worker’s exoskeletons to semi-automated systems to fully automated robotic assembly of masonry. Expect the use of greener materials, new technologies, and methods to reduce carbon emissions. Expect new designs and forms from the CMU as designers continue to utilize its strength and value. Expect stronger, safer, more energy-efficient, affordable, beautiful masonry buildings.

Green masonry will become central to additive manufacturing. It is environmentally appropriate, economical, attractive, and builds on what is known. This prediction calls for a productive future for the masonry industry in which successful innovation will occur as creative ideas exist in a balance between the familiar and the new.■